I am thinking of buying a vintage Guild at local music store but have a question. It is a D40 with serial number AJSO1169. From the link at the Guild page, AJ1169 would make it a 1967 D40. This guitar has a spectacular natural finish. Does the "SO" in the serial number mean "Special Order."
Hi Charles, welcome aboard!
No, Guild wouldn't have inserted an "SO" in the s/n to denote "Special Order". Special orders were usually labeled with a "S" or "Spec" after the model number on the label.
S/N from back of headstock would be most helpful. The "AJ50" prefix doesn't appear in the s/n records from the '90's when the "AJ" prefix was brought back, also, at that time that prefix was only used for full 17" jumbo bodies. Those records are cut off from late '97, so if that "AD50" or "AJ50" prefix was used late in Westerly there's only guy here that I'm sure could verify that, our member Hans Moust, who has the late Westerly production record.
This is Guild's own on-line ref, subject to miscellaneous errors and final confirmation by Hans if desired.
"AD" was the prefix for a dreadnought body, the next 2 letters call out the specific model. A D40 from the period would have had an "AD04" prefix.
D40 was on hiatus from '92 until '99, when it came back it had the "AD40" prefix and what we call a "snakehead" (narrow) headstock until late '02:
In '02 Guild began production in Corona CA and used a different s/n system.
Welcome. I don't think I have ever seen status information like "Special Order" embedded in a Guild serial number, but I also know that almost every time I say something like that I get proven wrong. A picture of the label and the back of the headstock which presumably has a stamped serial number would be very helpful. To exhaust all possibilities, what is the basis for calling it a D40? If the SO is sloppy handwriting for 50 AJ501169 could make it a serial number associated with a different model from the 1990's. But you will get better speculation and more concrete answers if you can post some pics.
I think Frono's on the right track here. A D40 should be a flat back 'hog body dreadnought, and for much of its history it had a "Chesterfield" below the Guild logo on the headstock.
